Improvement in concentrating-furnaces for smelting iron ores by the use of anthracite



\ the atmosphere.

PATENT rricE.

GEO. E. SELLERS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN CONCENTRATING-FURNACES FOR SIVIELTING IRON ORES BY THEUSE 0F ANTHRACITE COAL IN WHICH OTHER KINDS OF FUEL CAN BE USED'.

Specilication forming part of Letters Patent No. E70, dated April 20,1837.

To LZZ whom it nfl/ty concern,.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE EscoL SELLERS, of the city of Philadelphiaand State of Pennsylvania, have invented an ImprovedConcentrating-Furnace for the Smelting of Iron Ores by the Use ofAnthracite Coal, and in which coke or any of the other kinds of fuelapplicable to the purpose of smelting may be advantageously employed;and I do hereby declare that the followingis a full and exactdescription thereof, reference being had to the drawing whichaccompanies and makes a part of this specication.

To show the arrangement of the interior of the furnace averti cal andlongitudinal section of it is given in the drawing.

A is the main furnace for the reception of coal, which is to be suppliedto it by'means of the feeder B or any analogous contrivance.

-This feeder resembles a ratchet-wheel in its transverse section. Asshown in the drawing, it is placed and revolves within a curved casingunder the hopper @,which is to be kept filled with coal. The outerpoints of Bshould be made to lit as closely as practicable to thecylindrical casing D D to prevent the escape of the heated air withinthe furnace. 'Beside this, there are other kinds of feeders well knownto machinists,which will answer the purpose equally well.

E is the tuyere through which the blast is to be supplied. The dottedline F shows'the situation of the door for drawing off the slag; and Iintend in general to use two doors directly opposite to each other,which, when opened', will allow the slag to be forced from theopera-tor, enabling him to discharge it in a ready manner. These doorsmust' be constructed of that kind of red' sandstone which is well knownto iron-masters as best adapted to such purposes, or of some other goodfireproof material.

G is the chamber which is to receive the ore intended to be smelted, andis supplied by means of a feeder at I-I, which may be like that employedover the main furnace.

I is the main flue or chimney by which the products of combustion aredischarged into The melted metal flows from the smelting-ehamber intothe receiving-bed J, the dotted lines K showing the door for the purposeof lading it out or for removing it in the form of loups or balls,according to circumstances. There may also be a tamphole at or near thebottom ofthe bed J for drawing 0H the metal when it is to be cast intopigs or otherwise. A suitable opening is also to be made for removingthe slag of the ore.

L is a small ue through which the dame and heated air will rush and heatthe ore preparatory to its being completely melted at the lower part, M,of the chamber G. This flue determines also vthe height to which thecoal in the main furnace A shall be ignited, by which it is prepared tosupply the vacancy made by the blast or by the clearing out of the slagor cinder by the door F. Any intervruption of the process from thesecauses is thus obviated.

Theflue N,Idenominate thel concentratingflue,77 and through this themain part of the blast from the tuyere will pass. It must rise at suchan angle as to produce at the point M the full degree of heat requiredfor the complete fusion of the ore. This is a point which must be leftto judgment and experience, as it will vary with the force of the blast,the quality of the fuel, and the kind of ore to be smelted. It may befound best in some cases to cause the concentrating-flue towiden as itapproaches the point M, while in others it may be diminished there so asto have a comparatively narrow aperture. The length of this flue, or, inother words, the distance between the main furnace A and the point M, itwill undoubtedly be found best to vary from the same varyingcircumstances. From this cause I do not pretend to give any precisemeasurement or scale of parts, but have so proportioned the draW- ing asto furnish what I esteem a good general relative form, proportion, andarrangement. I intend sometimes to construct my furnace with out themain flue or chimney I, in which case the chamberG will perform itsoffice, there being no feeder upon it, but the ore being thrownin at itsopentop, or should itbe found advantageous, to raise this through anopening in the side of it. I also intend,in some cases,

to construct aflue or dues, J J J, leading from the upper part of thechamber G into the chimney I, for the purpose of allowing the heated airto escape into the chimney at such height as experience may show to bebest for completing the carbonization of the iron in G.

' In all the flues mentioned I of course employ such dampers as may bedeemed necessary for their regulation.

It is not necessary to sayanything upon thev subject of the mixtureto'be used with4 the ores for the purpose of iiuxing them, as there isnot anything different from the usual procedure in this respect when myfurnace is employed; but as the carbonization of the iron is a matter ofvital importance in the process of smelting, I will here observe thatthe extent to which the carbonization .is to be carried will determinethe proportionate quantity of anthracitecoal dust or ofthe dust ofcharcoal or coke, which must be mixed with the ore in the receiver.When, for example, soft pig metal is to be produced, the quantity mixedmust be proportionately large; but when bariron is to be made, thequantity must be proportionably less, such quantity only being used asmay be requisite for the separation of the scoria or cinder. Upon thispoint it is not possible to speak otherwise than Ain general terms, aswith every different kind of ore experience will show that the dose mustbe varied in order to produce the best results.

Having thus fully described the manner in which I construct my furnace,I do hereby declare that I do not intend to claim any of the parts sodescribed in their individual characters. There is nothing new, forexample, in the mode of feeding adopted by me, or in the principle ofpassing the blast through a stack containing fuel only and causing theflame and heated air therefrom to entera second chamber containing theore to be smelted, this having been previously proposed and essayed; but

Vhat I do claim is- I. That particular arrangement of the respectiveparts of the within-described furnace by which it may be distinguished.from all those that have preceded it, intending by this particulararrangement the manner of connecting the main furnace for fuel With thatcontaining the ore to be reduced by a concentratingflue within which iscontained, areceiving-bed for the reduced metalconstructed and operatingin the manner herein set forth, combining the same with the smalleriiue, (marked L in the drawing,) for the purpose herein fully shown.

2. The provision for removing the slag from under the fuel in the mainfurnaceA by means of one or two openings constructed for that purpose,upon the principle or in the manner described.

And I do further declare that I do not intend to limit myself byanything which I have herein said, or by the arrangement exhibited inthe drawing, to any peculiar shape or proportion of the respectiveparts, but to vary these as may be found convenient in practice, while 1attain the end proposed by means substuntially the same.

GEO. ESCOL SELLERS.

Witnesses:

CHAs. SELLnRs, Ronr. KEMP, Jr.

